An Act of Rebellion
by Sehanine
Summary: The marauders' first year at Hogwarts. Sirius POV
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All characters and locations belong to J.K. Rowling. Also a few lines of dialogue are taken directly from 'The Prince's Tale' in 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'. No copyright infringement is intended.

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><p>For Sirius Black there existed three states of being. The first was 'alone', the state he spent most of his time in. The second was 'with Regulus'. This was not entirely unpleasant; he loved his little brother, but he was a little too immature for Sirius' tastes. The third state was 'in company'. This was any time he was forced to endure the presense of adults, including his parents, and be the perfect young man. Being 'in company' for Sirius was comparable, he thought, to being in a pit of snakes; you had to keep your wits about you if you didn't want to be bitten. As his entire family had been sorted into Slytherin house at Hogwarts, he may soon find out exactly how accurate his analogy was, he thought sullenly. All in all, Sirius supposed he preferred being alone.<p>

Alone was the state he deferred to in the unusual surroundings of the Hogwarts Express. He had arrived early and managed to secure himself an empty compartment where he could kick back and dwell on the imminent sorting. He would much prefer to be in any of the other houses, but he just could not see it happening. He was not brave enough for Gryffindor, and certainly not intelligent enough for Ravenclaw. Mother had always made her displeasure clear at his academic work and eventually he had given up trying, content to coast along at the level she expected of him. He had never particularly had the opportunity to be loyal to anyone but his family, and familial loyalty seemed to fit Slytherin just as much as Hufflepuff. Really he had no chance of going anywhere but Slytherin.

He supposed it wouldn't matter quite so much if he didn't have family in Slytherin. Of his close relatives, most had either graduated or, in the case of Regulus, not begun to attend school. Unfortunately, the youngest of his cousins, Narcissa, was only in her sixth year, meaning Sirius would have to put up with two years of her watching his every movement to report back to his mother.

Suddenly Sirius was jolted out of his reverie by the arrival of another boy in his compartment. Just as he was working up the energy to turf this child out, Sirius was shoved aside as the boy flung his torso out of the window to wave to his parents as the gentle rocking motion of the train began to carry them away from the platform.  
>"Bye Mum! Bye Dad! Don't forget to look after my broom!" he yelled out of the window. Sirius briefly noticed that the boy was speaking to his parents in a way Sirius would never dare to talk to his own. He watched the boy curiously as he stepped away from the window and took in his appearance.<br>He was a little taller than Sirius and not quite as thin, although by no means fat. He was wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses, behind which were hazel eyes, wide in excitement. His hand reached up to ruffle thick black hair that was already messy. He was wearing robes, Sirius noticed, meaning he must be at least half-blood. He shook his head slightly, realising he was thinking like his mother. His cousin Andromeda had reminded him many times that muggleborns were no worse than purebloods, although he should never repeat that around the rest of their family or anyone else in Slytherin.

"Sorry for barging in on you like that," the boy said, having the good manners to look slightly abashed. "This was the only compartment I could find where I could get to the window quickly, and I needed to remind Dad to look after my broom. I tried to sneak it past him so I could take it with me, but he caught me and put it away. I told him if he doesn't take good care of it I'll get some older kids to teach me some good hexes and practise them on him." Sirius smiled, imagining again how his father would react if Sirius spoke to him in that manner. "I'm James, by the way," the boy continued, taking a seat. "James Potter." Sirius decided that he quite liked James' audacity and held out a hand towards him. "Sirius Black," he replied.

Shortly after the train began to move, a small red-haired girl asked if she could join them in the compartment. She was not particularly talkative until a black-haired boy Sirius assumed was a friend of hers came to join her in the compartment. It looked like it was going to be a pleasant journey until the new boy mentioned that he wanted to be in Slytherin. James looked at him like he was something unpleasant a dog had left behind and stated that he'd prefer to leave Hogwarts rather than join the house of the snakes. Sirius, aware that James was exaggerating, but was unable to smile, knew he had to speak up. Although his burgeoning friendship with James would probably be over within seconds, he knew that it was better now than later, after the sorting.  
>"My whole family have been in Slytherin," he said. He took a deep breath, waiting for the insults that were sure to follow.<br>"Blimey," said James. "And I thought you seemed alright!" James was still smiling and did not look at all offended that he had been sat next to a probable Slytherin. Sirius grinned, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Perhaps James wouldn't hate him just for being in Slytherin.

When asked what house he wanted to be in, he began extolling the virtues of Gryffindor house, to the disdain of the other boy in the carriage. After a small argument between James and the black-haired boy, the girl spoke up.  
>"Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment." As they left, James tried to trip the boy, laughing as he was almost successful.<br>"See ya, Snivellus!" James called out as the door slammed. Sirius burst into a fit of laughter at the name.  
>"Snivellus! Where'd you come up with that one?" he said, trying to laugh, breathe and speak all at once. James grinned.<br>"It's his voice. It's just so… Snivelly!" he replied.

Sirius and James spent the rest of the journey alternately speculating about what Hogwarts would be like and insulting Severus. By the time they disembarked from the train, Sirius had made a decision. He would not allow himself to be sorted into Slytherin. He would go to Gryffindor with James and for once in his life actually be happy.

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><p>A.N. When I originally posted this chapter there was a problem with the HTML showing. To fix it I had to delete the chapter and then repost it. Someone had let me know about the problem in a review, and annoyingly I didn't make a note of their name before deleting the original. So if you've come back to read this now it's (hopefully) fixed, thank you for telling me.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All characters and locations belong to J.K. Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended.

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><p>The journey across the lake was breathtaking. Sirius thought Hogwarts must be the most beautiful place in the world. He figured that the views from the castle over the grounds would be just as astounding, then felt saddened as he realised he would be living in the Slytherin dungeon for the next seven years and so would rarely see it.<p>

When they arrived in the castle a stern-looking, dark-haired witch came to meet them. She introduced herself as Professor McGonagall and described the sorting ceremony for those students unaware of what it entailed. As she spoke about the sorting hat she confirmed everything Sirius had already heard from his family; it would be able to see his thoughts and would know exactly which house he belonged him. Any half-hearted hopes that he could somehow trick the hat into putting him in Gryffindor fled his mind. Suddenly, Professor McGonagall threw open the doors into the great hall and led the new first-years to the centre of the room where a rather ragged looking hat resided on a stool.

A tear in the brim of the hat opened and it began to sing. Sirius was too concerned about what would happen to him in the next few minutes to pay attention, until he heard Professor McGonagall announce his name to the hall. Remembering all his lessons in how to conduct himself in public, Sirius held his head high and his back straight as he walked purposefully to the stool, where he sat as the hat was placed on his head.

"Well, you shouldn't be too hard to place, should you?" Sirius was surprised to hear the voice of the hat in his head, but recovered quickly.  
>"I know, I'm going to Slytherin," he thought despondently.<br>"Slytherin?" the hat replied incredulously. "No, no, no, that wouldn't do at all! I can see every thought running through your head, child. You are willing to go against everything that is expected of you, even though you are afraid of what may happen. That only points to one house. Courage is, after all, not the absense of fear, but merely the ability to overcome it. The only place for you is GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted the last word for everyone to hear. The Gryffindor table erupted in cheers as the first new member of their house joined them, intentionally sitting with his back to the Slytherin table, where Narcissa sat, astounded.

Sirius watched the rest of the sorting, making particular note of the students entering his own house. James Potter, of course, had been declared a Gryffindor practically before the hat even touched his head. A small, skinny boy named Remus Lupin also joined them, although from his expression it looked like he would rather be anywhere else. The fourth and final Gryffindor boy was named Peter Pettigrew. Plump and round faced with a large smile he looked like he would make a nice enough room-mate for the next few years. Three girls were also sorted into Gryffindor; Charlotte Pearson, Jennifer Clarke and, surprisingly, Lily Evans, the red-haired girl from the train, who watched as Severus was sent to Slytherin house. She did not look particularly happy to be at the Gryffindor table. Sirius, thinking how he would have felt if he was sitting at the Slytherin table watching James go to Gryffindor, could not help but feel rather sorry for her.

After the feast, two prefects led the new first-years up far too many staircases to count, where they eventually found the Gryffindor common room. Sirius made a mental note of the password - dragon scale - then immediately forgot it as he entered the common room. It was huge and filled with small clusters of furniture. Sofas and chairs covered in comfortable cushions surrounded small coffee tables and around the outskirts of the room were various sizes of work desks, red-tinted lamps atop them for optimal homework lighting. Portraits of notable Gryffindors from the past were on the walls, their occupants smiling and waving at the first-years. It was the exact opposite of what he'd been told to expect in Slytherin and Sirius could not stifle the grin that had appeared on his face. Finally, he felt like he was home.

The prefects directed the students to their dormitories, where they found their belongings waiting for them next to the four beds. Sirius' trunk had been placed by the bed furthest from the door, on the left, opposite the trunk labeled as belonging to James Potter. The small, skinny boy sat nervously on the edge of the bed next to Sirius', while the fourth flopped down onto the remaining bed, giggling as he bounced slightly on the mattress.

James lay back on his bed, grinning.  
>"I guess we're stuck with each other now Black," he said. Sirius just smiled to himself. He could live with that. James sat up again, looking around at his new dorm mates. "So who are you two then?" he asked.<br>"Peter Pettigrew," Peter introduced himself. "You're James Potter, aren't you? You got sorted right after me. The hat didn't even think about where to put you, did it?" James chuckled and ran his fingers through his already messy hair.  
>"Yes I am, and no, it didn't," he replied. He turned to the other boy, still sitting on the edge of his bed staring down at his shoes. "Who are you, then?" he asked. Sirius suspected that the boy he remembered to be called Remus wanted to be left alone. When Remus raised his head, Sirius had to stifle a gasp. He had two long, jagged scars across his face, as though he'd been ravaged by a wild animal.<p>

"Remus Lupin," Remus said, blushing slightly as he realised everyone was staring at his face, and returning his gaze to his feet. Peter, with all the subtlety of the average eleven-year-old, asked the question that was on Sirius' mind.  
>"Where'd you get those scars?" he said. Remus' blush deepened, and he neither answered nor looked back up.<br>"Peter," James said, shocked. "You can't just ask a bloke a question like that!" He turned back to Remus, smiling. "You don't have to answer him, you know." Remus finally looked up again and smiled slightly.  
>"Thanks," he said quietly.<p>

Sirius, sensing the awkwardness that the room was left in, decided it was time to speak up.  
>"And I'm Sirius Black," he said, standing up and taking an elaborate bow. His father had always told him that if he felt uncomfortable he should act as though he owned the room. Unfortunately, Sirius' take on 'owning the room' usually only earned him a stern glare from his father. In the Gryffindor first-year boys dormitory, however, it was greeted with raucous laughter from Peter, chuckles from James and a small, appreciative smile from Remus.<p>

The four boys stayed up later than Sirius was ever allowed to at home, getting to know each other a little better. When Sirius finally fell asleep it was with a strong feeling of contentment that almost overwhelmed his dread of having to tell his parents he was not in Slytherin.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: All characters and locations belong to J.K. Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended.

A.N. I was intending to update this story weekly, and then my computer broke. Weekly updates can be expected from now on. Reviews are always appreciated, and thank you for the ones I've received so far.

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><p>The next morning, Sirius was shocked awake by a pillow landing on his face. He sat up and opened his eyes to see James Potter standing above him, wielding the aforementioned pillow.<br>"Get up!" James said, far too loudly for this time of morning. "It's nearly time to get going to breakfast." Sirius groaned and pushed back his covers, then went straight to the shower to relieve the worst of the chill from the cold Scottish morning weather.

When Sirius arrived downstairs half an hour later he found James and Peter waiting for him. As the trio made to exit the common room, Sirius realised something.  
>"Hang on a minute," he said to his friends. "We're missing one." He cast his eyes around the room until they fell on Remus Lupin, curled up in a chair with a book.<br>"Oi, Lupin!" Sirius shouted, causing most of the common room to stare at him. "You coming?" Remus looked at him apprehensively.  
>"Why?" he asked. Sirius was confused.<br>"Because it's time for breakfast," he said, trying not to sound too patronising. "Are you coming?" Remus stood up, stowing the book in his bag and throwing the strap over his shoulder and joined Sirius and his friends.

In the great hall, Sirius was amazed to find out that, just like the feast the previous night, he could choose anything he wanted to eat. Having been raised in a household where the parents dictated their child's every move, he immediately made the most of this and took some of everything. Peter did the same, and James helped himself to a healthy portion of bacon. Remus simply took one slice of toast and nibbled on it. As he ate his eyes continuously flicked to either side and his left arm was curled almost protectively around his body. Sirius stared at him. He recognised the mannerisms; they were very much like his own when he had committed some form of misdemeanor and was awaiting its discovery and the subsequent punishment.

"What's up," Sirius asked. Remus jumped slightly and hunched his shoulders more, making himself seem even smaller than he actually was.  
>"Nothing," Remus replied. There was an awkward silence for a few moments, in which Sirius scrutinised the other boy.<br>"You're acting…" Sirius trailed off. He found he was unwilling to mention Remus' defensive posture when so many other people could hear. He could see James watching him in his peripheral vision. "You're not eating much," he finished lamely. Remus still looked a little suspicious.  
>"I don't get very hungry in the mornings," he replied, setting the remains of his slice of toast on his plate, as though trying to prove a point. Sirius shrugged and returned to his own meal. He's probably just nervous, he thought to himself.<p>

When the schedules were passed around by the prefects, Sirius groaned. They weren't being let off lightly on their first day, double potions, charms and transfiguration were all on the schedule. When Sirius, James and Peter stood to go to their first lesson of the day, Remus stayed sitting. Sirius looked at him, wondering if he was really all there.  
>"Come on," Sirius said impatiently. "We'll all be late if you don't hurry up."<p>

The first days classes were boring. It seemed that the professors were determined to make them perfect the theory behind the spells before they were going to be able to start casting anything, although some of the teachers had performed some truly impressive spells to show the classes exactly what they could achieve. Unfortunately, Sirius' impatient nature didn't lend itself to working hard and waiting for results.

By the end of the first week, the students still hadn't been allowed to use their wands in class. Some students had even given up and stopped bringing their wands to class altogether. Sirius, however, still held out hope and kept his safely in his pocket.

Over the first week, Sirius had learnt a lot, although mostly outside of lessons. He'd learnt that interacting with Gryffindors was very different to interacting with his Slytherin childhood playmates. Gryffindors responded much better to manners and general politeness than they did to coercion, bribery or even threats against their life. Sirius had even been told by a helpful prefect that death threats were not in any way appreciated and would result in detention, but had been let off when he explained it was how he was raised. Clearly the Black name still carried some weight in his new social circles.

Sirius had also learnt that his natural charming personality was a great asset in his house, as the Slytherin ideal of cold and aloof was hardly appropriate for such a warm and friendly environment. Sirius found himself more comfortable in the Gryffindor common room than he ever had at home.

The most important things he had learnt, however, had been regarding his new friends. He had discovered that James was a lot like himself. James had a greater understanding of rules and regulations, but had no more respect for them than Sirius did, making them the perfect troublemaking team. Unfortunately, at least in Sirius' opinion, they had not yet found any trouble to be made.

Peter, Sirius had found, was just as outgoing as himself and James, but only when around people he felt comfortable with. He was happy to contribute to conversations and make a fool of himself in the dorms or common room, but acted shy as soon as the other houses were around. Peter had quite a likeable personality overall, but sometimes seemed just a little bit too happy about the social and financial status of his new best friends.

Remus, Sirius had learned, did not consider any of the other three his friends. At least, that was the only conclusion Sirius could come to that made any sense. Remus never joined the others for meals, classes or during free time unless specifically invited, and even then he barely joined in conversations. He would answer if spoken directly to, but not offer any contribution otherwise. It wasn't so much that he was being shy, Sirius thought, but more that he was being extraordinarily careful. He seemed almost afraid to do or say anything without explicit instruction. Sirius was reminded of the way his brother, Regulus, acted around their parents; always waiting for a nod or gesture from Sirius before he accepted that it was safe to act, and would never dream of speaking unless spoken to.

Sirius was bothered by Remus' behaviour more than he liked to admit. He had been raised to believe that other children thought it a privilege to associate with the heir of the Black family and expected no less at hogwarts. As such it had been quite a shock to be treated with the indifference Remus displayed to all who spoke to him.

Sunday afternoon found Sirius sat in a corner of the common room with James and Peter, attempting to rush through the entirety of their homework for the week as they had neglected to even attempt it thus far.  
>"This is impossible!" Sirius groaned, throwing his quill dramatically onto the table, splattering not only his own homework but his friends' too in ink. "How are we supposed to know anything about the practical applications of transfiguring a matchstick into a needle when we don't even know how to do the spell?"<p>

James shrugged. "I've just made some stuff up, mate." Sirius snorted.  
>"I don't want to make stuff up though," he whined. "I want to actually know what I'm doing. I've always known everything about magic and I've never struggled this much before!" he saw James rolling his eyes at Peter, but chose to ignore it. He'd always been an overly dramatic child; it was part of his charm.<p>

"You could ask Remus," Peter piped up. "He did all his homework during the week." Sirius considered this for a moment. Remus might not want to be their friend, but he had always behaved cordially towards others. There was no reason Sirius could see not to ask him. He glanced around, almost immediately spotting Remus curled up in an armchair on the other side of the room with a book in his hand.

Sirius approached the smaller boy smiling.  
>"Remus," he said. "I'm having some trouble with the transfiguration homework-" he was cut off as Remus' head snapped up from his book.<br>"I knew it!" Remus said quietly, voice dripping with venom. "I knew there had to be some reason why the perfect Sirius Black was being so nice to me." Sirius tried to interrupt, but Remus wasn't allowing it. "I should have seen it before. You've got the popular Gryffindor kids as your real friends, but you still needed a bookworm to do your homework for you. Well I'm telling you now, it is not going to be me."

Sirius was shocked at the response. He didn't fully understand what Remus' problem was with him, but he didn't like what the other boy was implying.  
>"I wasn't going to ask you to do my homework for me!" Sirius said indignantly. "I was just going to ask you if you had any idea what practical uses there are for the matchstick to needle thing, because I didn't understand what McGonagall was saying." Remus had looked up from his book again, and was, for some inexplicable reason, staring at Sirius' clenched fists. Sirius chose to ignore this odd behaviour and continue. "I was being nice to you because I wanted to get to know you better since we're going to have to live together for the next seven years. Now I can see there's no point."<p>

Sirius stormed back to his own table, ignoring the many pairs of eyes watching both him and Remus after their altercation. He sat there in silence for a few minutes before a shadow fell across the desk. He looked up to see Remus standing next to him, holding out a few pages of parchment.  
>"I think I explained it pretty well in there," Remus said quietly, not quite looking Sirius in the eye. "If you still don't understand it I'll be in the dormitory." When Sirius did not immediately reach for the parchment, Remus placed it on the table and left quickly.<p>

James picked up the parchment and glanced over it.  
>"It's his transfiguration essay," he announced to the others, placing it back on the table. Sirius stood up and walked purposefully towards the stairs that led to the boys' dormitories.<br>"What are you doing?" Peter called after him. Sirius turned towards his friends.  
>"I am going to ask him point blank to be my friend, instead of assuming he wants to be," Sirius replied, and jogged up the stairs.<p>

Sirius pushed open the door and walked straight over to Remus' bed, where he was sitting with his book.  
>"Do you want to be friends or not?" Sirius asked outright, true to his words downstairs. Remus looked a little like a rabbit caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.<br>"Do you still want me to?" he replied. Sirius grinned.  
>"I'll take that as a yes then," Sirius said. "Now, come downstairs and hang out with us. James' mum sent him biscuits and you'll want to get some before Peter eats them all.<p>

From then on, Remus no longer had to be prompted to join his new friends, although he still seemed a little out of his comfort zone to Sirius. From his outburst that night, Sirius suspected it was going to take work before Remus truly believed that he had friends.


End file.
